The Haryana government has told the Supreme Court that its proposed Aravali Safari Park will preserve 70% of the 3,300-acre area as natural green cover, with construction limited to only 5%. The state emphasized that the project is focused on conservation and ecological restoration, not commercial tourism.
In an affidavit filed on October 14, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subhash Chander Yadav said the project, spread across parts of Gurgaon and Nuh, has been scaled down from an earlier 10,000-acre proposal once floated by the tourism department. The forest and wildlife department is now the sole implementing agency.
“The project will be an ecological boon, not a disaster,” the affidavit stated, asserting that it will revive native flora, aid groundwater recharge, act as a pollution buffer for NCR, and generate local livelihoods through community-based eco-tourism. The selected site, according to the state, is “highly degraded,” with less than 40% crown cover and overrun by invasive prosopis juliflora along with scars from past mining.
The Supreme Court is examining the matter under the ongoing T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India case on forest conservation and non-forestry activities. The plea was filed by five retired Indian Forest Service officers, including Dr. R.P. Balwan of Haryana, who serves as the principal petitioner.
The state government dismissed the petitioners’ objections as “outdated and selective,” arguing that the applicants “lack statutory authority” and appear “motivated by publicity.” Haryana maintained that the safari’s goals align with national policies like the National Forest Policy (1988), Mission LiFE, and the Aravalli Green Wall Project.
According to the affidavit, the project’s focus areas include restoring native vegetation, creating biodiversity corridors, improving soil and water conservation, and promoting controlled eco-tourism under scientific management. The government also stressed compliance with all environmental and wildlife protection laws, including the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Citing the Environment Ministry’s 2023 consolidated guidelines, Haryana said zoos and safaris on degraded forest land qualify as forestry activities when aimed at ecological restoration and operated under the supervision of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
Refuting claims that the safari overlaps with compensatory afforestation land for the Great Nicobar project, the state submitted official letters from March, April, and August 2025 confirming that the proposed area had been excluded from that scheme.
The government concluded that the Aravali Safari Park will not harm the fragile ecosystem but instead serve as a model for ecological recovery and sustainable livelihoods in the region.